What's Most Special About Your Top-of-the-Line Wash?

[Carl]

Business has been good but I admit I am WAY BEHIND on my touchfree automatics pricing & wash recipes. Currently I ONLY HAVE A DRYER on my top-of-the-line wash. The next wash down I have triple shine conditioner w/o a dryer. Next wash down is just a Wash & Wax w/ no dryer and then cheapest wash I call the Wash & Rinse again w/ no dryer.

What do you have on your top-of-the-line wash as the "carrot" and how many of your four or three washes do you offer the dryer? I'm guessing you have the dryer on all of your washes EXCEPT the cheapest one thanks to competition from the the tunnel washes offerings?

Is your top-of-the-line "carrot" a Rain-X type application? Lava foam? Hot wax? (I am upgrading my touchfree automatics soon and have opted NOT to add a lava foam option just because I fear its consistency of application not as controllable as I would like (for example if a very windy day, residual dripping of the product on subsequent passes, etc.)

I have two Water Wizard 1.0 machines and plan to upgrade to the Water Wizard 2.0 machines before year's end.

Thanks so much!

~ Carl

 

[Waxman]

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my deluxe wash is $12 and has: underbody flush, 2 pass hot presoak. HP rinse. Foam Polish, HP Rinse, HP WAX, spot free rinse & blow dry.

3/4 + of IBA customers get the deluxe wash.

also included at this car wash: self prep bucket for IBA, free towel dry station. more bang for customer's buck and they are loyal due to the wash quality, service and amenities we offer.

 

[Waxman]

ps; if i re vamped my touch free bay with new equipment i would add a wash in the $17 range that featured: more soap passes than are reasonable, and more polish and wax than was ever thought of prior as sort of an over-the top, ultimate chemical dumping extravaganza! I'm talking multiple passes for high perceived value and a superb touch free wash experience.

this was eric h's idea, btw, not mine. i copied him.

 

[loewem]

My top package includes undercarriage, two pre-soak passes with bug pass on the front and back for the first pass, HP wash with front bug pass, triple foam, rainx type product, low pressure foaming wax, water saver pass, spot free and dryer. The special parts are the bug passes, rainx type product and the foaming wax. These three are only on my top wash. I'd have to look to know exactly, but I'd estimate that my top wash is 50%, second from top 20%, and the bottom two washes 15% each.

I have the dryer on my top three packages....$6, $8, $10 and $12.

I like wax man's extras. I'm sure that the customers do appreciate it and that it creates loyalty. Haven't thought of adding a prep bucket, but when I'm at the wash I spray tires with tire cleaner and the bugs with bug remover.

 

[washnshine]

My top wash is $15 and my customers get:
underspray
wheel cleaner (chemical and hp)
tri foam polish
Simoniz Hot Wax and Shine
spot free rinse
blow dry

The hot wax is the single most important element in allowing me to get to the $15 price point.

 

[robert roman]

“Business has been good but…..” I am behind on pricing and wash recipes.

Contemporary strategy in the carwash industry is top package marketing because it addresses consumer’s problems of cleaning, shining and protecting their vehicles.

For example, basic wash addresses consumers need to wash at home in driveway such as washing, rinsing and drying.

Variable cost is credit card fee, chemical (soap and drying agent), water and sewer, electric (machine, dryer), and equipment maintenance and repair.

Next selection for in-bay is often a more extensive cleaning such as two passes of soap, underbody flush, tire cleaner.

Variable cost is same as above plus cost of additional soap, flush, cleaners.

Shining paint requires use of abrasives. However, touch-less has no foam or cloth brushes. So, tri-foam is usually just sprayed on and marketed as foaming conditioner/polish plus spot-free rinse.

Added cost is chemical and three gallons fresh water to get one spot-free.

Protection comes from products that impart strong hydrophobic effect on paint. Rain-X or similar paint/glass water repellent works good with in-bay, plus spot-free. Underbody rust inhibitor would fit in here.

Added cost is chemical.

This strategy works because the value-added encourages customers to buy up to satisfy their needs.

How to price depends on goals and objectives (revenue and profit margin) in relation to market conditions, anticipated take rate (sales mix) and cost of goods.

Your supplier should be able to walk you through this when you buy the equipment.

 

[rph9168]

Your top and bottom packages should be the most used. You can control that somewhat by how they are packaged and priced. I have seen some with only a basic wash without dryer and others with dryer. Pricing the base wash lower without dryer tends to bring in more people inclined to just get the basic and leave but may bring in a little more volume. Pricing the base wash higher with the dryer will bring in customers more inclined to go for the top package since they like having the dryer included. As a general rule the top package can be priced from twice the base up to 2 1/2 times the base. How you price yours depends on your competition and the available options you have on your equipment. Obviously the more you can include in the top package the higher the price.